Egypt’s journalist Eissa released on bail on insulting parliament charges
A Cairo appeals prosecution ordered on Sunday the release on bail of high-profile journalist and TV personality Ibrahim Eissa after a case was filed against him by parliament accusing him of insulting and mocking parliament.
Another report has been submitted by lawyer Samir Sabry accusing Eissa of publishing false news and misleading public opinion.
The prosecution ordered Eissa to pay 5,000 Egyptian pounds-bail for each case.
A number of lawyers including human rights attorneys Hafez Abu Seada, Negad El-Borai, press union lawyer Sayed Abo Zeid, and union board member Mahmoud Kamel attended the questioning of Eissa by the prosecution.
Eissa has denied the charges against him.
In February, parliament lodged the first of its kind complaint against Eissa, who is the editor-in-chief of Al-Maqal newspaper.
The move came after MP and journalist Mostafa Bakri accused Eissa, who was also a strong opponent of Egypt’s ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak, of directing insults at parliament.
Al-Maqal published an article on Tuesday with a satirical title stating that the Oscars should give the Egyptian parliament an award for best cartoon.
In response, parliament speaker Abdel-Aal said he agrees with Bakri call for investigation, insisting that Eissa has become fond of constantly directing insults at parliament.
“I decided that all the insults in Eissa’s article on Al-Maqal newspaper be referred to the prosecutor-general for investigation,” the speaker said, adding: “the insults in Eissa’s article are a crime and represent a deviation from press freedoms.”
However, Abdel-Aal refused another request by Bakri that parliament file a complaint against Ahmed El-Sayed El-Naggar, the board chairman of Al-Ahram Press Organisation, over an article published on Al-Ahram Arabic website pointing out the linguistic mistakes made by the parliament speaker in his speeches.
Eissa’s talk show on the privately-owned El-Kahera Wel Nas channel was cancelled in early January, though it is not clear if he resigned or if the show was suspended.
Prior to his election in May 2014, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi appeared on a show with Eissa and TV presenter Lamees El-Hadidi in his first-ever television interview.
Eissa has held a number of editorial positions, including editor-in-chief of El-Tahrir newspaper, from which he resigned in 2015.
He also hosted a number of TV shows after Egypt’s 2011 January revolution and has published a number of books.
Source: Ahram online
